Loki: Musings of a God of Mischief
by gammaxmen80
Summary: As the Siege on Asgard begins, Loki muses on all the events up to this point in Siege, and his actions in them. This is a POV tale.


**Musings of a God of Mischief**

**By Jason Jackson**

**I do not own Loki and all related Marvel characters**

Loki smiled as he watched the battle in the tower overseeing Asgard, as he swirled his drink. All had gone according to plan. Ever since his resurrection, he had planned it all.

Thor, his "brother," was a fool to think that he was the only one to survive Ragnarok. He—or rather his head, Loki thought sourly—was there when Thor ended the cycle. Thus, he, too, survived.

Aye, survived… and plotted the whole time they had been absent from Midgard. He watched Thor, alone in the void. He saw what he had thought was the impossible: the mortal healer called Donald Blake was also there. He overheard their conversation, about life and death, about Asgard, and the future that laid there if Thor was not there to prevent it. He listened to all. And there he saw an opportunity… one that would give Loki all that he desired. Rulership over the Odinson's people, and castle, and his vengeance on Thor himself, as Odin himself is not there to suffer. Still, Thor had stood in his path for, lo, too far many times, and it was time Loki remedied that… for all time.

He knew Thor would come looking for the other Asgardians, so he made plans. The first, of course, was a body he needed to defend himself, and to have influence over Thor. He could not have chosen any body more delicious than that of his beloved Sif.

The next step, of course, was in ensuring their encounter. Loki used his magicks to search the planet entire for the one pawn that would begin his grand scheme; the Asgardian Destroyer, the walking suit of armor created by Odin himself, should the Celestials ever had to invade Asgard.

He found it indeed, resting in the area called the Grand Canyon, buried in an avalanche of rocks. He paid no attention to the dead corpses of the trolls. He saw that the Destroyed was still intact, awaiting its call. He was tempted to feel its power once more, but his plan did not call for that. No, the next step had to be an alliance, albeit one without trust or loyalty. He returned to the world of the spirit, and found Balder. Once he had ascertained his location, he went to Victor von Doom and they struck upon an agreement.

Loki would draw Balder's spirit to the Destroyer itself and awaken it. While he was busy, however, his eyes did not leave his brother, who walked on Midgard once more. He saw that the mortal had taken up residence in an inn, and Thor had succeeded in resurrecting the kingdom Asgard, albeit smaller than it once was.

While Loki continued his machinations, Thor had found Heimdall and the oafish trio known as the Warriors Three. It was fortunate that Loki had planned ahead for Heimdall's cursed eyesight. He used cloaking spells to blind the all-seeing guardian from Loki and his machinations. While Thor had rescued the Warriors Three, Loki began the next step of his plan: the abductions of the chosen mortal forms, including the one he had chosen. A cloaking spell prevented Heimdall from seeing whom it was who had done the deeds. He wanted Thor to come to them.

Thus, it was then that brother would meet "sister" for the first time. Loki knew Thor would always recognize him, no matter what form. What he failed to recognize, however, was the body of Sif. He had already transferred that woman to an old crone, already drawing her last breaths in, irony of ironies, the very hospital where Blake once worked and his former love, Jane Foster, now worked in his stead.

Balder, of course, was a large part of Loki's plan. He knew that he could never be ruler of Asgard, so he would use the secret knowledge he and Thor sworn never to reveal to make Balder his puppet.

He made a pact with a giant, and delivered Balder to them. He, of course, never intended to keep his end of the pact. Both giants died at their hands. He planted the seeds of the fruit he would then harvest. Loki then told Balder of his true parentage, his true heritage.

Loki smiled, pleased to see Balder being crowned king of Asgard, for it moved Loki closer to the power he desired. He savored especially the smell of fear on the child who watched him through the telescope.

Loki continued his manipulations of Balder, but his plans were slowly ripe for fruition. The next step was a visit to Hela, his daughter, and goddess of death. Though she, too, was resurrected, her land of Hel was not. With her aid, he exited the female host he wore and entered the mists of time, where he manipulated the events that would bring about the death of Bor, father of Odin. But he did not stop there. He ensured that his father, Laufey would, too, die, and his path to power would begin. Thus, Loki ensured that his journey to become God of Mischief was written in stone. He felt… glee at ending his father's life for all time. His machinations in that long ago era done, he returned to his time and the female host he wore.

But his machinations did not stop with Balder and times past. He found himself in a Cabal of villains headed by Norman Osborn, whose use he saw would bring to his plans. Later, Loki also saw use for a team of Avengers to keep Osborn in check. He was by this time getting used to wearing guises of female form. Loki savored the delicious irony of wearing the guise of the Scarlet Witch, whose actions had succeeded where he had failed: the disbanding of the Avengers, broken. He learned that much like Thor and himself, the Avengers, the hated group he had long regretted creating, had undergone their own Ragnarok. Loki had also heard of the events afterwards, the altering of reality at Scarlet Witch's hands, which led to a species on the brink of extinction. He also had heard—to his delight—of the war of brothers. He could not stop laughing when he had learned of the genetic copy created by Anthony Stark, and sent as a weapon against his former brothers.

His next step was to resurrect Bor, and, in so doing, distorted his vision of the world into that of nightmarish beasts, which were really insignificant mortals, now lambs to the slaughter. It was then that his rampage would draw the attention of Thor. Loki's brother greeted in peace, but of course, thanks to his… simple trick, Bor only saw him as an enemy. Loki then brought the news to Balder, and told him of the battle twixt grandfather and grandson, then they "hastened" to the site of the battle, only to be too late, as Thor had killed Bor. He savored quietly the look on Thor's face when told of the truth. It did not hurt that the battle had also damaged the cursed hammer, Mjolnir.

Thus, Loki brought about the banishment of his hated brother from Asgard, and removed his greatest obstacle.

Then Loki convinced Balder to meet with Doom. Loki knew that Balder was not convinced fully, but it did not matter, for Loki already had Balder in his clutches.

His next step was in distracting Thor and Blake by "revealing" to him the truth about the host body he wore. He did not expect Thor to seek Strange's aid in restoring Mjolnir's power. He later had seen its uru stone head restored, and he had come to only one conclusion he perhaps should have foreseen. He had succeeded in restoring Sif ere she expired with the old crone. Of no matter. Loki was done with the form, and his true self restored. He was satisfied with all his plans.

Most of the Asgardians went to Latveria. It did not matter to Loki that the Warriors Three and Sif chose to stay with Thor. They were no threat to his schemes upon schemes. Still, Thor could have posed a threat, so he had Doom send his automations, ensuring that they could not be traced back to either of them to eliminate Blake.

As the machines went forth to slay him, Loki began the next step: abductions of Asgardians, whose allegiance he felt nothing for. Kelda's little whelp of a lover, of course, discovered the experiments Doom had done with the bodies.

Doom was a fool to think that immortality could be found within the entails of Asgardians.

Still, he indulged Doom's delusions for as long as it suited him.

Loki dispatched his hired Asgardians, who did not have any love for mortals, upon the whelp.

Though they slew the whelp, they could not stop him from whispering of Loki and Doom's true plan. Still, Loki was not God of Mischief and Trickery for naught. He had a contingency plan that would put Loki closer to Balder's ear.

Though his machinations, Kelda was slain, her heart tore out. Loki surrendered himself to the Asgardians in a false act of remorse, and having "seen the light" of Doom's evil.

Though he sabotaged the Gjallarhorn, he could not prevent Thor's interference. But even that did not stop his plans. Loki had the power to restore Kelda to life, and all he needed was her heart, and therefore put himself in a position, even closer to Balder's ear.

Though it had nearly met with a skirmish, Loki's plan had succeeded.

Only one matter left. Two, in fact.

He did not believe that Asgard belonged in the fragile world of mortals. It was a world full of weakness, and his vision of Asgard belonged only to the strong. So he manipulated Norman Osborn in various ways, including whispering in his ear, causing him to think that it was his own voice, that of the Green Goblin, that now conserved in his mind. He convinced Osborn that Asgard did not belong on Midgard.

He was aware of an… incident that started the war of brothers. So he convinced Norman to stage an incident of his own, with Volstagg the perfect cat's paw. It went better than Loki could have hoped for.

He left Osborn in his preparations for the Siege, and he went to warn Balder of the attack, just as it occurred.

He watched the battle between gods and mortals. He had watched Osborn's Avengers defeat his brother, and enjoyed every moment of it.

He stood up from his spot on the window sill, and walked over to a table, and pulled out a blow gun, and a very special dart. Loki smiled sinisterly and coldly. Balder has had the gift of invincibility granted to him by his mother Frigga, but she neglected one harmless kind of plant to mortals, but deadly to Balder: mistletoe. It would be his downfall, and then Loki would become ruler of all that he surveyed, which included Midgard, for after he had Asgard ascended to its rightful place in the heavens, he would go forward to conquest Midgard. All Loki had to do was wait for the proper time, when all was distracted in the battle, and a small dart would find its mark on Balder.

And all would know that Loki would be sovereign, and even his exiled brother would not stop him.

Loki's laughter was not heard among the sounds of battle.


End file.
